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Committee approves moving $400,000 from parks development fund to Brownfield assessment account
Summary
Washington County’s land use committee approved transferring $400,000 from the Parks Development Fund to the Brownfield Assessment Fund, effectively closing the designated parks development fund and moving the remaining balance to the county capital improvement plan.
The Washington County Land Use and Planning Committee on April 15 approved a resolution to transfer $400,000 from the Parks Development Fund to the county’s Brownfield Assessment Fund and to fold the fund’s remaining balance into the county capital improvement plan.
The transfer will draw from a Parks Development Fund balance of roughly $548,000, staff told the committee. After the $400,000 shift, the remainder will be used to offset capital improvement costs in the countywide CIP; the resolution, as presented, will close the Parks Development Fund.
County staff member Aaron Dahl told the committee the agenda item was mislabeled in the published packet — the money comes from the parks development fund, not the general fund — and explained the intent. “The parks development fund currently sits with a balance of almost $548,000. This resolution authorizes $400,000 of that to be shifted into the Brownfields environmental assessment fund,” Dahl said during the presentation.
Officials said the parks development pot was originally intended to support implementation of the county’s bikeway and trail network plan, including grant matches for high-priority corridors. Staff and committee members said those trail projects did not materialize as expected and that state and right-of-way hurdles limited use of the fund for trail development.
Jamie (staff member) summarized the policy trade-offs: closing the earmarked fund does not prohibit future trail projects, but it removes a dedicated pot of money for that purpose and consolidates funds into the broader CIP. Supervisor Brian Krebs moved the resolution; the committee voted in favor.
The committee approval sends the measure to the full county board; committee members noted that adoption of the underlying change to the plan may require a supermajority at later stages. In committee the motion carried on an aye vote.
